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Gov. Andrew Cuomo met a brief press gaggle following a presentation by SUNY Stony Brook leaders on their request for an 8 percent tuition hike to help fund expansion plans. The Q&A covered a lot of ground: final plans on rent regulation, progress on an ethics bill and details of a tax cap.

The answers were pretty much par for the course in early June with 10 session days left. When WXXI’s Karen DeWitt asked Cuomo about progress legislative priorities, he said, “We’re making progress, were proceeding toward the goal line, our fingers are crossed. … We’ve had this conversation numerous times. We’re having discussions, we’re making progress — but it only matters if you cross the goal line, and we haven’t crossed the goal line yet on several issues. … You know how these things work; things tend to come together or not come together at the end, and my guess is that’s going to be the same here.”

“We’re working on rent, ethics — all of these matters are being discussed. We do not have a three-way agreement yet on these issues — not on ethics, not on rent. We announced a three way agreement on a property tax cap, and we’re working through the details. … I’m optimistic that we are going to have accomplishments by the end of the session. … People make decisions when they have to make a decisions.”

As to concerns that Cuomo’s plan for ethics reform would give the governor too much power or control over the body that polices public integrity, he said, “Ethics reform is a difficult and a complex issue.”

“What happens if they don’t pass an ethics bill? … If we don’t pass an ethics bill, a Moreland Commission, I think, is an appropriate vehicle to pursue the same goals. … One way or another, there will be a vehicle to clean up Albany.”

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Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.